Busy lifestyles can lead to clutter building up over time without being noticed. Once clutter has taken hold it can make you feel miserable and can lead to health issues, allergies and even in severe cases, depression. We’ve put together our 10 top tips on reasons to declutter, you may even discover some hidden gems that could make you some money on eBay.
Clearing clutter will clear your mind – A great phrase is a cluttered home equals a cluttered mind, many people find this to be true. You should notice that once you’ve removed the clutter from your home it will feel fresher, lighter and brighter this in turn can help to make your mind feel clearer and give you more energy. Don’t believe us? Give it a go.
Discover space that’s been hidden under clutter - As you start to bin, recycle or donate your clutter, you will discover space you forgot you had. That spare room packed full with boxes and paperwork could become a lovely guest bedroom with a bit of time and a few bin bags.
Help reduce household allergies – That big stack of harmless looking boxes and piles of clothes could be hiding a dangerous secret. Dust mites and other allergens love to collect on clutter, these can aggravate many allergies. You may also find that areas that are stuffy and crammed full of items are perfect breeding grounds for mold. Always where protective clothing when decluttering if you suspect there to be mold present.
Make some extra pennies for a rainy day – That box of old records collecting dust in the back room could make you some pennies on eBay, if you’ve no use for them anymore. Someone once said, “One man’s rubbish is another man’s Gold”, something you haven’t used in many years could be something someone is willing to pay several pounds for. When clearing your clutter make three piles; Bin, Recycle/Donate and Sell. If you’re not technically minded you may prefer to sell your items at a car boot sale, you can find a car boot sale on most weekends.
Less clutter will save you time – If you’re always having to navigate round the stacks of clutter to find something you’ve lost then decluttering could save you time. Once you’ve spent the time to make sure everything has a home and is away neat and tidy you will be able to locate your lost items much quicker. You will also save time cleaning around the home as you won’t have to move stacks of magazines or boxes, to dust.
Create a safe environment – If you have rooms full of clutter, not only can they be a fire risk, they can also increase the risk of slips and trips at home. By sorting through your clutter and reducing the items you have sitting around collecting dust you can make your home a safer place to live.
Make home life more harmonious – Nobody likes having to continually pick up after someone else. Hoarding items and filling the spare bedroom with dusty boxes can cause arguments within the strongest relationships. Decluttering as a family can help to strengthen family bonds and if you find it’s having the opposite result, declutter in separate rooms.
Your local charity shop will benefit – You will almost certainly find items in your home collecting dust that you no longer have a need for. When sorting your clutter, make sure you have a bag to fill with items to take to a charity shop. If you have clothes you haven’t worn in over three years or toys your child has grown out of playing with, consider donating them. Not only will the charity shop benefit from your donation, you will feel better about yourself for completing a good deed.
Teach your children to be tidy – Clutter has a habit of making rooms look messy and disorganised. If your children grow up surrounding by clutter, it increases the likelihood of them hoarding clutter too. Involve them in decluttering and make it into a game, see if they can fill a bin bag with things they no longer use that can be donated to a charity shop or see how fast they can collect items to be recycled. It will have the added bonus of providing them with more space to play in.
Reduce the risk of mold in your home – Clutter that’s built up around the home can make it hard for air to circulate efficiently. Boxes placed in front of air bricks or ventilation points can be responsible for mold growth in the home. Mold growth can irritate allergies and in extreme circumstances it can be responsible for respiratory problems. If you discover mold growth behind your clutter we advise the use of protective clothing. If the mold is not suitable for you to remove safely, we recommend contacting a professional mold removal company.
We hope we’ve convinced you to start decluttering your home, if you’re looking for ways to organise your home, why not check out our Pinterest board where we’ve pinned some great ideas to help organise your home.
Tags: 10 top tips, Declutter, House cleaning
